How CIM Discovery works

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of How CIM Discovery works

    CIM Discovery in ServiceNow's IT Operations Management enables customers to classify and manage storage systems using the Common Information Model (CIM). The process involves utilizing the Shazzam probe to detect and retrieve service information from the network, specifically focusing on WBEM services and their attributes.

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    Key Features

    • Shazzam Probe: Initiates network discovery by launching the wbem port probe to detect activity on specific ports (SLP 427, CIM 5989, and 5988).
    • Service Registry Queries: Utilizes the SLP query to identify the wbem service type, indicating the presence of an SLP server.
    • CIM Classification: The CIM Classify probe extracts critical data such as VMware ESX serial numbers and connector relationships from CIM servers.
    • Default Storage Namespaces: The mid.cim.interop.namespace property allows customization of storage namespaces to include vendor-specific options.
    • Probes and Sensors: A variety of SMI-S and CIM probes are available to gather detailed information about storage components, including arrays, disks, file shares, and SANs.

    Key Outcomes

    By implementing CIM Discovery, ServiceNow customers can effectively monitor and manage their storage environments. This capability leads to improved visibility into storage infrastructure, better asset management, and enhanced operational efficiency.

    This is the processing flow for classifying Common Information Model (CIM) storage systems.

    Processing flow

    1. The Shazzam probe launches the wbem port probe as part of network discovery.
    2. The wbem port probe detects activity on target ports SLP 427, CIM 5989 and 5988, and then examines the Service Registry Queries related list, at Discovery Definition > Port Probes, for the SLP query. The base system provides this query to detect the service:wbem service type, which indicates the presence of an SLP server.
    3. The Shazzam probe launches a scanner for the WBEM service type. The scanner retrieves:
      • The attributes of the service from the SLP server.
      • The interop namespaces of CIM servers in the network.
    4. The scanner appends the namespace values it finds to the port probe results.
    5. The wbem port probe appends the SLP data it carries to the CIM Classify probes.
    6. The CIM Classify probe uses that information to explore the CIM servers.
      Figure 1. CIM Shazzam Processing Diagram
      CIM Shazzam Processing Diagram

    The wbem port Probe

    The wbem probe stores the data it retrieves in the CIM Classification [discovery_classy_cim] table. To view the wbem port probe, navigate to Discovery Definition > Port Probes.

    Figure 2. wbem port probe record
    wbem port probe record

    SLP query

    The SLP query detects the wbem service (service:wbem) on an SLP server and gathers the attributes of the service. To view the SLP Query record, open the wbem port probe record and select SLP Query from the Service Registry Queries related list.

    Figure 3. SLP Query record
    SLP Query record

    CIM - Classify probe

    The wbem port probe appends the SLP data it carries, including namespaces, to the CIM - Classify probe before launching it. The CIM classification probe extracts VMware ESX serial numbers and connector relationships between the SAN and NAS components from CIM Servers in the network.

    To access the CIM classification probe, navigate to Discovery Definition > Probes and select CIM - Classify from the list of probes.
    Note:
    The mid.cim.interop.namespace system property defines four default storage namespaces:
    • interop
    • root/interop
    • root/pg_interop
    • pg_interop
    If you’re using multiple storage vendors with custom namespaces not specified as one of the defaults, add the new namespaces to the comma-separated list in this property. If you intend to continue using any of the default namespaces, make sure to include them in the property.
    Figure 4. CIM - Classify probe record
    CIM - Classify probe record

    SMI-S and CIM probes and sensors

    Table 1. SMI-S and CIM probes and sensors
    Probe/Sensor Description
    CIM - Identity Identifies a system via CIM per SMI-S.
    SMI - Array - Controllers Retrieves controller information.
    SMI - Array - Disks Retrieves storage disk information.
    SMI - Array - File Shares Enumerates NAS file shares from a storage server.
    SMI - Array - Pools Retrieves storage pools.
    SMI - Array - Ports Retrieves storage ports.
    SMI - Array - Volumes Retrieves storage volumes.
    SMI - Fabric Retrieves SANs, fabrics, zone sets, zones, zone aliases, endpoints, and connections.
    SMI - Fibre Channel Switch Retrieves FC switches.
    SMI - NAS Head - Component Systems Retrieves all virtual file servers in a NAS head profile.
    SMI - NAS Head - File Server IPs Retrieves IP addresses for each NAS file server.
    SMI - NAS Head - File Servers Retrieves NAS file servers such as Common Internet File System (CIFS) and Network File System (NFS).
    SMI - NAS Head - File Shares Retrieves file shares for each NAS file server.
    SMI - Storage Server Retrieves SAN and NAS arrays and servers.
    SMI - WBEM Service Retrieves WBEM Service information such as profiles and SMI-S version.